Cupid: Shipping Out The Next Scene
by Atomdancerrr
Summary: This is the first time the new show got anything but fluffy. When one of Cupid's successful matches may end in tragedy, Claire and Cupid come to agreed upon ground rules for Cupid's matchmaking.


New Cupid. Be sure to catch the new show while it lasts at ten on Tuesday nights or on ABC's site. Google ABC Cupid and much of the old show is up at youtube.

My next story almost finished will be called Quantum Cupid. Leap into Psyche. You can guess what it will be about.

Warning: This story is told from Claire's point of view. The opinions of the characters are not necessarily those of the author! I know what Cupid really is! ;)

Cupid: Shipping Out. The Next Scene.

Trevor was very quiet on the ride back to Tres Equis. Robin sobbed the whole way and Trevor sobbed during most of it.

Claire decided she wasn't going to scold Trevor too hard. For once the harsh reality of the consequences of his delusion was obviously hitting home. She even hoped it might lead to a break through.

As they were getting out of her car Trevor said, "After I have her settled for the night I want you to talk to me. I want to get what I deserve over with!"

Claire sighed, "Poor Trevor! I'll wait downstairs." She settled down on one of the bar stools and waited.

A few minutes later her problem patient came down and sat on one on the bar stools with his head down waiting for his scolding.

Claire sighed, "_Here she had him in exactly the proper frame of mind, the one she had been hoping for, for weeks, and she could hardly think of a thing to say! _Finally she settled on,"You see now, how even if you never get physically violent with someone you can still be a danger to others?"

Cupid swallowed and nodded, "If you want to recommit me please don't call the white coats. Take my hand and walk me across the street, and when they inject me please stay with me and hold my hand while the medication takes hold. It's going to be literally dieing to me if it turns out I'm just crazy. Imagine it Claire! What would it be to wake up out of a long dream and discover you are someone else other than you thought you were?! All my childhood memories! My Mother!" He sobbed. "My fun times with my Dad and Mercury! All the silly things I did! Some of them I'm really ashamed of now but many of them were just fun. All those Goddesses and Nymphs and temple Virgins I bedded! I don't know how I can possibly stand it finding out all that was mere madness! And what other memories am I going to acquire? It will feel like having my mind invaded by aliens! And my life span will go from being potentially forever to a few decades. I'm volunteering to give up a lot here!"

Claire nodded, "It is an awful lot to ask and I am so very proud you are volunteering. But poor Trevor! It's not going to be that easy for you. You don't have schizophrenia so there isn't any medication we could give you that would help."

Trevor reminded her, "Dr. Greely said he wanted to put me on higher doses than what I was put on before."

Claire shook her head, "Higher doses of antipsychotics wouldn't help. That is where he is wrong. I know you are not schizophrenic. Dopamine is not your problem."

Trevor looked at his Psychiatrist "How can you possibly be sure?"

Claire said, "Oh Trevor! I worked with you for almost 90 days while you were in Sachs and then for the several weeks you've been out. You are definitely not schizophrenic. You can carry on a normal conversation if your past doesn't come up. Your face is animated and in sync with what other people are expressing. You are compassionate. You feelings are appropriate to the situation you are in and you react appropriate in every way other than thinking you have to try and unite one hundred couples. You can handle metaphors and stress and Human interaction. Plus the definite proof is that Rorschach test you enjoyed so much. I don't quite know what to think of what you gave me but any one of any of the interpretations you gave me on _any _of the cards were completely normal. It is not however normal to be able to come up with 20 plus completely different interpretations for each card! And I had to limit you to just 20! The way you did it, it took a whole week and I getting very tired of it! I don't know what to think of that. It is like you are _too much there, _not the other way around as a schizophrenic would be. No Trevor. It's not going to be as easy for you as just taking some pills. Your only hope is to just keep working and working and working with me and hope in time the man behind the curtain can be coaxed to come out and introduce himself."

Trevor gave her a gently defiant grin, "You know if there is no drug to help that is not going to happen! So you aren't sending me across the street again?"

Claire said, "No Trevor you are going to have to live with what you did and that is that. There is sodium pentothal, but the goal here is to leave you functional. If I forced him out without helping you to build more normal defenses first I could end up with a Trevor who can't function anywhere near the hyper competent level you do now. There are some Therapists who would go that route but I won't, not with you, not with any delusional Patients. No Trevor when you are up to it your little man will come out on his own and my duty is to be here to make him feel welcome when he comes so he stays out. In the mean time, Cupid, start aiming your arrows with more social responsibility!"

Trevor nodded. "The irony of it is, is this time I did _everything right this time_! Not one thing I planned, not the Mardi Gras, not showing her the letters, not talking him into trying it, not any of the things I did or said 'miss-shot.' My arrows flew strong and true. The only mistake I made and you can see how I could make it was not realizing he had a mental condition that would cause him to make a bad decision if he fell in love."

Claire frowned, "I told you not to Trevor but as usual you didn't listen!"

Trevor frowned right back, "The thing is Claire you are ALWAYS telling me not to unite folks! It doesn't matter if it's going to be a good match or not. You wouldn't' want me to unite George with Gracie! Lacking omnipresence I had no way to know this was the ONE time I should have listened!"

Claire nodded, "I do see your point Trevor but I am trying to help you to function more normally. Most normal people don't think they have to unite one hundred couples so you can go back to your family who lives on Mount Olympus! That is the one part of your delusion that isn't just past confabulated memories and if I could just help you realize that much is all hysteria that would be such a breakthrough!'

Trevor frowned, "And you would be taking the one thing away from me that gives me meaning. Lets say for the sake of argument I am as loony as a member of Congress. To quote a Neighbor of our's, 'If you won't believe in Me, than believe in the works themselves.' Most of the time it is a good thing to unite people in a lifetime of true love. Even matches that don't last are better than no matches at all. Some stars burn a long time. Some are out in days but they all are glorious! Flash forward Claire through my life. I realize this is going to take a lot longer than I thought it was. I thought I'd have it done in six days. Ha! I realize now my hair may be grey by the time I make it unless I get a lot better at it or a miracle beyond my ken occurs. And I could turn out to be delusional just as you think. But Claire; think of the legacy I'm leaving! Think of the babies born to mentally healthy families, the life time of happiness, the people not dieing alone in their old age, the vacations and the squabbles and then the kiss and make ups and the houses fixed up and the scrap books full of memories! I am not a useless Lunatic if a Lunatic is what I am! But Claire I need your help not your hindrance. If there is a situation like this again, a reason I should not be uniting two people due to psychiatric problems I can't possibly have any knowledge of, then yes, warn me! Warn me hard! But _don't keep trying to stop me every time!_ Instead help me!"

She looked skeptical."

Trevor said, "Ever think what is going to happen to your theorized '_little man'_ when I do get to one hundred? That may be the only way you ever get to meet him, when I go hommmmme!" He said 'home' the way ET had said it and the look on his face left no questions as to his desire to leave Earth."

Claire nodded, "Now that is a point. All right Trevor. This is a breakthrough of sorts even if I'm the one who had a big part of it instead of the Patient. After this if I deem your potential match ups as mostly harmless or beneficial potential I will either help as much as I can without risking my license and reputation, or at least not hinder you. But Trevor I want you to raise you hand and swear on that family of yours that you will never again try to match up a couple if I warn you there is a psychiatric reason not to do so. Got it?"

Trevor spit on his hands, rubbed them together and put his right hand in the air like a Vulcan's 'live long and promise blessing, "I Trevor Cupid pierce promise in the name of my family to never unite two Patients if Claire says one of them can't handle it for mental health reasons."

Claire felt both relief and amusement, "Is that how the gods make promises Cupid?"

Cupid smiled, "oh no. I was making that up as I went along."

Claire grinned. "Funny god! Now go try and sleep. I suspect it won't be easy for you."

Trevor frowned, "No. It won't."

"And you get to take her back to the airport tomorrow. You are on your own. I refuse to work for free here. You get to be her sole damage control. I suggest you recommend she find a good therapist at the other end.'

Trevor said, "I suspect she will go talk with her Minister instead."

'Close enough Trevor. We seculars don't mind the competition. To sort of quote your Neighbor again, "There aren't enough laborers for the harvest as it is."

Trevor gave her a look like he wanted to be a Time Lord instead of a god and redo the last three days.'

Claire went home.

And Trevor bedded down on the couch and he did a lot of thinking. But when he woke up the next morning he was still Cupid.


End file.
